Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Indian Film industry |
Founded | 1929 |
Founder | Chimanlal Desai, Ambalal Patel, Ardeshir Irani |
Defunct | 1940 |
Headquarters | , |
Products | Films |
Sagar Movietone also Sagar Films, Sagar Film Company and Sagar Productions was an Indian film production company involved in the making of films for Indian cinema. It was launched by Ardeshir Irani with Chimanlal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel in 1929 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India. [1] Sagar was initially started as a branch company of Ardeshir's Imperial Film Company. Several key figures from Imperial, such as Mehboob Khan were shifted to Sagar. The studio was in operation from 1930 to 1939. In 1940, it combined with General Pictures to form National Studios. [2] It made "Parsi theatre based films, mythologicals and stunt movies". Sagar fostered the career of many artists who rose to prominence. Early directors such as Prafulla Ghosh, Sarvottam Badami, Ezra Mir and Nanubhai Vakil were promoted by the company. Mehboob Khan got his first break as a director in Al Hilal in 1935. He was referred to as "the most important alumnus" from Sagar, who went on to become one of Indian cinema's "most influential film-makers". [3]
With the launch of the studio, five silent films were produced in 1930. Their first silent film was Dav Pech (The Web) (1930). Their first talkie film was Meri Jaan, also called Romantic Prince (1931). That year Sagar made nine films. The company also produced films in Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali and Punjabi. The first Tamil talkie was produced by Sagar Movietone; Kalidas (1931), directed by H. M. Reddy and starring T. P. Rajalakshmi.[ citation needed ] However, production reference for Kalidas has also been credited to Imperial Film Company, the parent company of Sagar. [4] The first Gujarati Talkie Narsinh Mehta was produced by Sagar in 1932.
Films such as Manmohan (1936), Jagirdar (1937), Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938) and Ek Hi Raasta (1939) were stated to be a notable collaboration between Mehboob Khan as director and Anil Biswas as music composer. [5] Both Mehboob Khan and Biswas worked at Sagar for a long period, with their collaboration extending to National Studios. [6]
The people involved in the formation of Sagar Movietone were: Ardeshir Irani who started the company as a subsidiary of Imperial Films in 1929; Chimanlal Bhogilal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel who joined and took over the company in 1930.
By the time Desai and Patel took over, nearly ten silent films were made starting with Dav Pech (The Web) (1930). Out of a total of 12 silent films, only two; Hoor-E-Misr and Dilawar were made following Desai and Ambalal joining Sagar. From the sixty-six films produced by Sagar, fifty-two were in Hindi, five in Tamil. three in Telugu, four in Gujarati and one in Punjabi. [11] When Irani left Sagar in 1930 to concentrate on Alam Ara (1931), Sagar started work on its first talkie Meri Jaan (Romantic Prince) (1931), operating equipment used by Irani during the day for Alam Ara, while Sagar technicians used it during the night. Some of the notable films from Sagar were:
Veer Abhimanyu (1931), directed by Prafulla Ghosh and starring Jal Merchant, Zubeida, Yakub, Jilloobai, and Mehboob Khan. Narsinh Mehta (Gujarati) (1932), directed by Nanubhai Vakil became the first feature film in Gujarati. The cast included Master Manhar, Mohanlala, Marutirao and Mehtab. Chandrahasa (1933), directed by Sarvottam Badami, Farzande Hind (1934), Shaher Ka Jadoo which introduced Motilal.
Grihalaxmi (1934) was directed by Sarvottam Badami. A family melodrama about an educated wife going through humiliation at the hands of her husband, but continues to stay with him, it starred Sabita Devi, Jal Merchant and Yakub. [12] Badami was known for directing "socially relevant" films for Sagar Movietone. [13] It was a remake of Bhaneli Bhamini (1927), which carried a social message against sexually transmitted disease. [14]
Al Hilal (1935) was the debut direction by Mehboob Khan and introduced Sitara Devi in the leading role opposite Kumar. Dr. Madhurika, a film, though successful at the box-office, got a mixed response from a select audience group, which were disappointed with the female protagonist submitting in the end.
Motilal was born in Simla. While in Bombay he visited a shooting schedule at Sagar Studios. He was spotted by director K. P. Ghosh and offered the lead in Shehar Ka Jadoo (1934). He had no formal training, which acted to his benefit, becoming known for his natural acting. He was to work in several top films produced by Sagar most of them opposite Sabita Devi, Silver King, Dr. Madhurika, Do Diwane, Jagirdar (1937), Kokila, Kulvadhu and Hum Tum Aur Woh. He left Sagar to join Ranjit Studios. [15]
Sabita Devi was one of the top paid actresses at the time. She started her career in silent films, and with the arrival of talkies learned Hindi. She shifted from British Dominion Films Ltd., Calcutta, to Kinema Arts, and then worked for the Calcutta-based East India Film Company. She moved to Bombay and joined Sagar Film Company. She acted opposite Motilal in his debut film Shaher Ka Jadoo (1934). She was the star of Sagar Movietone and acted in several films produced by them. Her last film for them was Ladies Only (1939). She left Sagar and went into partnership with Dr. Ambalal Patel and Sarvottam Badami at Sudama Pictures. [16]
Surendra came to Bombay on the insistence of film distributor Lala Alopi Prasad. Mehboob Khan gave him his debut role in Deccan Queen (1935) and Manmohan (1936). Manmohan was made as a Bombay response to the Calcutta-produced Devdas (1935). Surendra's acting and singing were appreciated by the audiences and he went on to act in several roles that show-cased his sensitive appeal. He moved to National with Mehboob Khan giving performances in successful films such as Aurat. [17]
Bibbo acted in India's first sound film Alam Ara. She worked in thirteen films produced by Sagar. Her popular pairing with Surendra had them acting in several films together, most famous being Manmohan, Gramaphone Singer and Ladies Only. When Sagar shut down, she shifted to Circo Productions. [18]
Yakub started his acting career as an extra in silent films in Sharda Film Company. He joined Sagar Film Company and was a regular in most films produced by them. He acted in their first talkie, Meri Jaan. He worked with Mehboob Khan in several films and formed a working and friendly relationship with him. He shifted to National Studios with Khan when Sagar shut down acting in Aurat (1940) cited as one of the finest performances in Indian cinema. [19]
Other stars who worked with Sagar were Kumar, Maya Banerejee, Snehprabha Pradhan, Wahidan Bai, Kanhaiyalal and popular comedians such as Noor Mohammed Charlie, Bhudo Advani and V. H. Desai. Mukesh the playback singer, first acted in a Sagar production Nirdosh. [6]
Mehboob Khan was shifted from Imperial to Sagar at its formation. He played supporting roles in several initial Sagar films. With the help of his friends cinematographer Faredoon Irani and Gangaram, a laboratory assistant, he developed a story narrating it to Ambalal Patel. The film was Al Hilal (Judgement Of Allah) and it marked the entry of Mehboob as a director. He was to direct several successes for Sagar such as Deccan Queen, Manmohan, Jagirdar, Watan , Hum Tum Aur Woh , Ek Hi Raasta (1939) and Ali Baba . He moved to National Studios on its formation and directed three big hits; Aurat, Bahen (1941) and Roti (1942). He went on to form his own production company Mehboob Productions in 1943 and remade Aurat in 1957 as Mother India (1957), which went on to become a classic. [20]
Sarvottam Badami came to Bombay from Bangalore to learn automobile engineering. He was asked by Ardeshir Irani to help in the recording for Alam Ara. Though he only knew Kannada and English, he was asked to direct regional films such as Harishchandra (1932), Galav Rishi and Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam (1932) for Sagar. His first Hindi film for them was Chandrahasa (1933), following which he directed Grihalakshmi. He made satirical comedies such as Teen Sau Din Ke Baad (1938), and Ladies Only, both of which were big commercial successes. His specialty, however, was sensitive, socially relevant films, which included Dr. Madhurika, Ver Ka Badla, Jeevanlata, Village Girl, Kokila, Kulvadhu and Ladies Only. [13] All these films had Sabita Devi as the leading lady, paired most often with Motilal. He left to join Dr. Ambalal Patel at Sudama Pictures.
Ezra Mir initially worked in Madan Studios in a few films as an actor. He went to Hollywood and joined Universal Studios, working in several categories, before returning to India in 1930. He was invited to work on Nurjehan (1930) by Ardeshir Irani. His next film direction Zarina (1932) was offered to him by Desai for Sagar, which became a success. His other films included Pagal Premi (Mad Cap) where he introduced Noor Mohammed Charlie in a main role and Farzand-E-Hind (Phantom Of The Hills) (1934). He then left Sagar and moved to Calcutta. He was to make a shift from feature films to documentaries, during WWII. He made a series of short films under the series Road To Recovery In 1940, he joined the Government Advisory Board. [21]
The other directors of note at Sagar were C. M. Luhar, Virendra Desai (Desai’s second son), Nanubhai Desai and Ramchandra Thakur.
Faredoon Irani was a noted cinematographer. He started his career as "an apprentice" at Imperial Films. His first independent film was a Gujarati short four-reeler; Shri Krishna Danlila, shown along with Meera Bai in 1932. His work in Bulbul-E-Baghdad was appreciated when the film became a big commercial success. Faredoon worked on Mehboob Khan's Al Hilal.
Anil Biswas started his career as a music director with his first film; Dharam Ki Devi (1935) at Indian Arts. Jagirdar (1937) was Biswas' first big success. His other films for Sagar were Kokila, Dynamite, Gramaphone Singer, Hum Tum Aur Woh, Postman, 300 Days And After, Watan, Comrades and Ek hi Raasta.
Zia Sarhadi wrote the lyrics, story, screenplay and dialogues for Sagar films. Other people of note working at Sagar were Safdar Aah, Pandit Indra, Wajahat Mirza, Pransukh Naik and S. P. Rane.
Sagar Movietone closed down by end of 1939. The last two completed films of Sagar were Civil Marriage (1939) and Alibaba (1940), with Kumkum The Dancer, a bilingual in Hindi and Bengali, scheduled to be released by Christmas 1939. "And that is the end of Sagar!" stated Filmindia in its December 1939 Studio Close-ups column. [22]
The closure was reported by Baburao Patel, editor of cine-magazine Filmindia in his column "An Eventful Year" in the December 1939 issue,
"1939 will be sadly remembered as the year that saw the collapse of Sagar, one of the oldest studios in India. They seemed to have started the year fairly well with "Ladies Only" and "The Only Way" and had announced an ambitious programme including two bi-lingual pictures ("Ali Baba" in Punjabi and Hindustani and "Kumkum The Dancer" in Bengali and Hindustani) for which they considerably increased their staff of artistes and technicians. But then something went wrong, "Comrades" proved treacherous, there were rumours of mergers, closures, mortgages of pictures, reduction of staff, heart-breaks and tears until today the old Sagar glory is no more, and Seth Chimanlal Desai plays the second fiddle to the Fazalbhoys in the newly-formed National Studios. It is a sad, sad story with its own moral". [23]
Desai, in association with Yusuf Fazalbhoy of General Pictures, amalgamated the two companies, Sagar Movietone and General Pictures, to form "National Studios" in 1939. The person of importance in National was Mehboob Khan, with his first film under National; Aurat (1940) becoming a big success both with the critics as well as the audiences.
List: [8]
Year | Film | Director | Cast | Notes/Composer | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1930 | Dav Pech | Moti B. Gidwani | Master Vithal, Gohar, Yakub | Silent film | [24] |
1930 | Nai Roshni (Royal Rivals) | Bhagwati Mishra | Jal Merchant, Ermeline, Yakub, Rajkumari | Silent film | [25] |
1930 | Mewad No Mawali (Rogue Of Rajasthan) | Madanrai Vakil | D. Billimoria, Mehboob Khan, Nirasha | Silent film | [26] |
1930 | Arunodaya (Dawn/Rising Sun) | Bhagwati Mishra | Master Vithal, Manorama, Yakub, Nirasha, Boman Irani, Wamanrao | Silent film | [27] |
1930 | Veer Na Ver (The Conqueror) | Moti B. Gidwani | Master Vithal, Gohar | Silent film | [28] |
1931 | Toofani Taruni (Cyclone Girl) | Moti B. Gidwani | Jal Merchant, Ermeline, Yakub, Laxmi | Silent film | [29] |
1931 | Toofan (Children Of The Storm) | Bhagwati Mishra | Prithviraj Kapoor, Ermeline, Fali Merchant | Silent Film | [29] |
1931 | Golibar (Avenging Angels) | Bhagwati Prasad Mishra | Ermeline, Prithviraj Kapoor, Mazhar Khan, Romila | Silent film | [ citation needed ] |
1931 | Meethi Chhuri (Eye For An Eye) | Madanrai Vakil | Zubeida, Khursheed Begum, Yakub, Ghulam Qadir | Silent film | [ citation needed ] |
1931 | Dilawar | R. G. Torney | Master Vithal, Pramila, Mubarak, Mehboob Khan | Silent film | [30] |
1931 | Hoor-E-Misar (Land Of Pyramids) | Prafulla Ghosh | Master Vithal, Zubeida | Silent film | [31] |
1931 | Abul Hasan | Prafulla Ghosh | Miss Khatoon, Master Bachchu, Shehzadi, Hadi | Silent film | [ citation needed ] |
1931 | Veer Abhimanyu | Prafulla Ghosh | Jal Merchant, Zubeida, Yakub, Jilloobai, Mehboob Khan | Silent film | [32] |
1931 | Meri Jaan (Romantic Prince) | Prafulla Ghosh | Master Vithal, Zubeida, Yakub, Sankatha Prasad | [33] | |
1932 | Bulbule Baghdad (Fairy Of Baghdad) | Nanubhai Vakil | Master Bachchu, Sushila, Yakub, Miss Khatoon, Sushila | [33] | |
1932 | Mirabai | Ramnik Desai | Zubeida, Jal Merchant, Sankatha Prasad, Miss Khatoon | S. P. Rane | [34] |
1932 | Galava a.k.a. Galav Maharishi or Chitrasena upakhyana (Tamil) | D.R. Muthulakshmi, V. Sundaresh Iyer | [35] | ||
1932 | Sarvottam Badami & T.C.Vadivelu Naicker | D.R. Muthulakshmi, V. Sundaresh Iyer, | [35] | ||
1932 | Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam (The Coronation Of Lord Rama's Slippers) (Telugu) | Sarvottam Badami | Yadavalli Suryanarayana, C. S. R. Anjaneyulu, Surabhi Kamalabai | [11] | |
1932 | Shakuntala (Telugu) | Sarvottam Badami | Yadavalli Suryanarayana, Surabhi Kamalabai | ||
1932 | Maya Bazar a.k.a. Surekha Haran (The Land Of Illusion) | Nanubhai Vakil | Master Bachchu, Khatoon, Yakub | S. P. Rane | [33] |
1932 | Narsinh Mehta (Gujarati) | Nanubhai Vakil | Master Manhar, Mohanlala, Marutirao, Mehtab, Tikramdas, Jamna, Miss Khatoon | S. P. Rane | [35] |
1932 | Subhadra Haran | Prafulla Ghosh | Zubeida, Master Bachchu, Jal Merchant, Sankatha Prasad | [ citation needed ] | |
1932 | Zarina | Ezra Mir | Zubeida, Jal Merchant, Noor Mohammed Charlie, Sankatha Prasad | S. P. Rane | [ citation needed ] |
1933 | Chandrahasa | Sarvottam Badami | Master Bachchu, Noor Mohammed Charlie, Gulzar, Kamala, Mehboob Khan, Baburao Sansare | 1st Hindi film directed by Badami. Music: S. P. Rane | [36] |
1933 | Mahabharat also (Pandav Kaurav) | Nanubhai Vakil | Jal Merchant, Zubeida, Master Bachchu, Khatoon, Mehboob Khan | S. P. Rane | [37] |
1933 | Mirza Sahiban | Nagendra Mazumdar | Master Bachchu, Kamalabai Gokhale, Dinkar S. Bidkar, Miss Gulzar, Mehboob Khan | S. P. Rane | [38] |
1933 | Premi Pagal | Ezra Mir | Master Bachchu, Kamalabai, Miss Gulzar, Noor Mohammed Charlie | S. P. Rane | |
1934 | Anokhi Mohabbat | Ramnik Desai | Kumar, Sitara Devi, Yakub, Tarabai | Bairam Singh | [ citation needed ] |
1934 | Grihalaxmi | Sarvottam Badami | Sabita Devi, Jal Merchant, Yakub, Kamala Devi, K. C. Dey | S. P. Rane | [39] |
1934 | Nachwali | Ramnik Desai | Jaddanbai, Yakub, Swarup Rani, Rafiqe Ghaznavi | Bairam Singh | [ citation needed ] |
1934 | Farzande Hind (Phantom Of The Hills) | Ezra Mir | Sabita Devi, Jal Merchant, Yakub, Noor Mohammed Charlie | S. P. Rane | [ citation needed ] |
1934 | Sati Anjani (Pious Anjani) also Hanuman Janma | Kanjibhai Rathod | Panna, Yakub, Asooji, Anees Khatoon | S. P. Rane | [40] |
1934 | Shaher Ka Jadoo (Lure Of The City) | K. P. Ghosh (Kali Prasad Ghosh) | Kumar, Sitara Devi, K. C. Dey, Miss Gulzar, Tarabai | [41] | |
1935 | Al Hilal | Mehboob Khan | Sitara Devi, Kumar, Indira Devi, Yakub, Azurie | Pransukh Naik | [ citation needed ] |
1935 | Dr. Madhurika | Sarvottam Badami | Motilal, Sabita Devi, Padma Shaligram, Bhudo Advani | Pransukh Naik, Ashok Ghosh | [ citation needed ] |
1935 | Silver King | C. M. Luhar | Motilal, Sabita Devi, Yakub, Asooji | Pransukh Naik | [42] |
1935 | Vengeance Is Mine a.k.a. Ver Ni Vasulat | Sarvottam Badami | Motilal, Sabita Devi, Padma Shaligram, Yakub, Mehboob Khan | S. P. Rane | [ citation needed ] |
1936 | Deccan Queen | Mehboob Khan | Surendra, Aruna Devi, Bhudo Advani, Pesi Patel, Ramchandra | Pransukh Naik | [43] |
1936 | Do Diwane (Two Rogues/Gay Birds) also Be Kharab Jaan | Chimanlal Luhar | Motilal, Shobhna Samarth, Aruna Devi, Yakub, Bhudo Advani | K. M. Munshi's play. Music: Pransukh Naik | [44] |
1936 | Grama Kanya (Village Girl) | Sarvottam Badami | Surendra, Sabita Devi, Yakub, Aruna, Kayam Ali | Shankarrao Khatu | [45] |
1936 | Jeevan Lata (The Creeper Of Life) | Sarvottam Badami | Sabita Devi, Motilal, Miss Gulzar, Sankatha Prasad | Pransukh Naik | [43] |
1936 | Lagna Bandhan (The Bonds Of Marriage/The Forbidden Bride) | K. P. Ghosh | Motilal, Sabita Devi, Aruna Devi, Lilvati, Azurie | Pransukh Naik | [43] |
1936 | Manmohan | Mehboob Khan | Surendra, Bibbo, Yakub, Ashalata | Anil Biswas | [46] |
1936 | Veer Abhimanyu(Telugu) | V. D. Amin | Kanchanmala | [11] | |
1937 | Bhakt Shri Thiagraj (Tamil) | Virendra Desai | Mangalam Natesar, Kamala | [11] | |
1937 | Captain Kirti Kumar | C. M. Luhar | Motilal, Bibbo, Krishna Kumari, Yakub, Sankatha Prasad | Bhaskar Rao | [47] |
1937 | Jagirdar | Mehboob Khan | Surendra, Motilal, Yakub, Bibbo, Zia Sarhadi | Anil Biswas | [48] |
1937 | Kokila | Sarvottam Badami | Motilal, Sabita Devi, Shobhna Samarth, Yakub, Maya Bannerjee, Sitara Devi | Anil Biswas | [43] |
1937 | Kulvadhu | Sarvottam Badami | Motilal, Sabita Devi, Gulzar, Pesi Patel | Pransukh Naik | [ citation needed ] |
1937 | Sagar Ka Sher (Lion Of Sagar) | Yakub | Yakub, Kamlabai, Sankatha Prasad, Pesi Patel | Pransukh Naik | [43] |
1938 | Dynamite | C. M. Luhar | Surendra, Bibbo, Maya Bannerjee, Yakub, Bhudo Advani | Anil Biswas | [49] |
1938 | Gramaphone Singer | V. C. Desai, Ramchandra Thakur | Surendra, Bibbo, Prabha Devi, Bhudo Advani, Kayam Ali | Anil Biswas | [49] |
1938 | Hum Tum Aur Woh (We Three) | Mehboob Khan | Motilal, Maya Bannerji, Yakub, Rose | Anil Biswas | [50] |
1938 | Three Hundred Days And After | Sarvottam Badami | Motilal, Sabita Devi, Yakub, Bibbo, Sankatha Prasad, Pesi Patel | Anil Biswas | [49] |
1938 | Jalaja(Tamil) | Gautam K. Sheshagiri | Bhanumathi, G. K. Sheshagiri | N. Ananthram | [35] |
1938 | Desa Munnetram (Tamil) | Mahendra Thakore | K. R. Chellam, M. Natesan Iyer, Baby Rukmani, Shripat Shankar, S. R. Padma | 50 song soundtrack. Music: Papanasam Sivam, K. Sundaram | [35] |
1938 | Valibar Sangam(Tamil) | A. N. Kalyansundaram Iyer | Baby Kamala (Kamala Kumari) | [51] | |
1938 | Ramnam Mahimai(Tamil) | A. N. Kalyansundaram Iyer | Baby Kamala (Kamala Kumari) | [51] | |
1939 | Ek Hi Raasta (The Only Way) | Mehboob Khan | Arun, Sheikh Mukhtar, Jyoti, Harish | Anil Biswas | [52] |
1939 | Sadhana | Virendra Desai, Mahendra Thakore | Prem Adib, Bibbo, Shobhana Samarth, Harish, Kanhaiyalal | Anupam Ghatak | [49] |
1939 | Seva Samaj (Service Limited) | C. M. Luhar | Surendra, Maya Bannerjee, Bibbo, Yakub, BHudo Advani | Anupam Ghatak | [49] |
1940 | Ali Baba | Mehboob Khan | Bibbo, Wahidan Bai, Surendra, Sardar Akhtar | Anil Biswas | [53] |
1940 | Kumkum The Dancer (Hindi/Bengali) | Modhu Bose | Sadhana Bose, Dhiraj Bhattacharya, Padma Devi, Preeti Majumdar, Moni Chatterjee | Timir Baran |
Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani was a writer, director, producer, actor, film distributor, film showman and cinematographer in the silent and sound eras of early Indian cinema. He is considered one of the greatest personalities in recent Indian Cinema. He was the director of India's first sound film Alam Ara. He was the producer of India's first colour film Kisan Kanya. He was renowned for making films in Hindi, Telugu, English, German, Indonesian, Persian, Urdu and Tamil. He was a successful entrepreneur who owned film theatres, a gramophone agency, and a car agency.
Kanhaiyalal was an Indian actor who acted in 122 films in his career, primarily in Hindi films produced in Bollywood, the Mumbai-based film industry.
Master Vithal or Vithal (1906-1969) was an actor in Indian cinema, best known as the hero of India's first talkie Alam Ara (1931) and of Marathi and Hindi silent stunt films, which gave him the epithet as the Douglas Fairbanks of India.
Ek Hi Raasta is a 1939 Hindi social film directed by Mehboob Khan. The director of photography was Faredoon Irani with story by Babubhai A. Mehta and Wajahat Mirza. The film was produced by Sagar Movietone. The cast included Arun Kumar Ahuja, Sheikh Mukhtar, Anuradha, Kanhaiyalal and Harish. This was the debut film of Sheikh Mukhtar, who went on to act in and direct several successful films, and Arun Kumar Ahuja, a prominent actor in the 1940s. Ek Hi Raasta is a film about wrongs of society and its laws. It was one of the early Hindi films to make a noticeable application of WW II.
Al Hilal is a 1935 Urdu/Hindi costume drama film. It was the debut directorial venture of Mehboob Khan. He went on to become "one of the pioneer directors of Indian Cinema". The film is thought to be inspired by Cecil B. DeMille's The Sign of the Cross. The film was produced by Sagar Movietone. The director of photography was Faredoon Irani. The music composer was Pransukh Nayak with lyrics by Munshi Ehsan Lucknavi. It starred Kumar, Indira, Yakub, Sitara Devi, Kayam Ali and Mehboob Khan. The film depicted fictionalised history in the form of a Roman-Arab conflict, with the son of the Ottoman Empire being captured by the Roman army and his escape from them.
Watan (transl. Homeland) is a 1938 Hindustani costume drama film directed by Mehboob Khan. Produced by Sagar Films, the film had story by Mehboob Khan and Wajahat Mirza. The cinematographer, as for most Sagar films, was Faredoon Irani. Following the successful music of Manmohan (1936), Sagar Movietone retained Anil Biswas as the in-house music director, scoring music for Watan along with other releases of the time from the studio. The cast of the film included Kumar, Bibbo, Maya Banerjee, Yakub Lala, Sitara Devi and Kayam Ali.
Deccan Queen is a 1936 Hindustani action-adventure film directed by Mehboob Khan. It was the first "stunt" film from Sagar Movietone and the first film for actor Surendra, who was credited as "Surendra Nath B.A., L.L.B.". The film helped launch him as a singing star. This was the only action film directed by Mehboob Khan as he later shifted to films with social and political slant. This was Mehboob Khan's second directorial venture after Al Hilal (1935). He asked Zia Sarhadi then an unknown small-time actor, to write the screenplay, dialogue and songs for Deccan Queen. The music direction was by Pransukh Nayak along with Ashok Ghosh. The cinematographer was Faredoon Irani. The film starred Surendra, Aruna Devi, Ramchandra Pal and Kayam Ali.
Sarvottam Badami (1910–2005) was an Indian film director of Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil films. He started his career as a sound recordist for the first talkie in India, Alam Ara (1931). In 1948 he helped set up the Films Division for news-reel and documentaries, where he worked as the chief producer in the newsreel department and also made documentaries. His active years were from 1932 to 1952 when he retired from the Films Division and from making feature films to settle in Bangalore.
Chandrahasa is a 1933 Hindi mythological costume drama film directed by Sarvottam Badami. It was the first Hindi film directed by Badami, bringing him into prominence, even though he did not know Hindi. It was also one of the first Talkie versions of the film which was remade several times. Produced by Sagar Movietone, it had music composed by S. P. Rane. The film starred Noor Mohammed Charlie, Gulzar, Kamala, Master Bachchu, Dinkar, Mehboob Khan and Baburao Sansare.
Grihalakshmi is a 1934 Hindi social family melodrama film directed by Sarvottam Badami with story by Dr. Jayant Shyam and cinematography by Faredoon Irani. The film was produced by Sagar Movietone and had music by S. P. Rane. The cast included Sabita Devi, Jal Merchant, Yakub, Kamala Devi, K. C. Dey, Swaroop Rani and Asooji.
Vengeance is Mine also called Vair Ka Badla is a 1935 social Hindi film directed by Sarvottam Badami based on K. M. Munshi's story. After directing three regional language films for Sagar Movietone, Badami was now directing films exclusively in Hindi. After the first Hindi film he directed Chandrahasa (1933), he shifted his focus to socially relevant topics and made two films based on Munshi's stories, Vengeance is Mine (1935) and Dr. Madhurika (1935). Vengeance is Mine was made on a story Munshi had written in Gujarati language as "Ver Ni Vasulat" in 1913 under the nom de plume "Ghanshyam". The cast included Kumar, Sabita Devi, Yakub, Sitara Devi, Padma Devi and Mehboob Khan.
Dr. Madhurika is a 1935 social film directed by Sarvottam Badami based on a story by K. M. Munshi. The cinematography was by Faredoon Irani and the film starred Sabita Devi, Motilal, Gulzar, Bhudo Advani and Padma Shaligram. The dialogue and lyrics were by Waqif with music by Pransukh Nayak and Ashok Ghosh.
Ladies Only is a 1939 Indian Hindi-language social comedy film directed by Sarvottam Badami. Produced by Sagar Movietone, it had music by Anupam Ghatak and starred Surendranath, Sabita Devi, Bibbo and Prabha. This was the last comedy film made by Sarvottam Badami before he left Sagar Movietone. He joined his mentor Ambalal Patel, at Sudama Pictures to start making "socially relevant" films.
Sajani is a 1940 Hindi social film directed by Sarvottam Badami for Sudama Productions. Scripted by Zia Sarhadi, the film had music by Gyan Dutt and starred Prithviraj Kapoor, Sabita Devi, Snehprabha Pradhan, Noor Jehan, Dixit, and Ghory. Badami left Sagar Movietone where he had made satirical comedies to join his "mentor" Ambalal Patel at Sudama Productions to make "socially relevant film(s)", where Sajani was one of the first. Snehprabha Pradhan acted in several films produced by Chimanbhai Desai in 1940, including Sajani.
Surendra was an Indian singer-actor of Hindi films. Known by his mononym, Surendra was born and educated in Punjab to be a lawyer by profession. He came to Bombay to become a singer on the recommendation of a Delhi distributor and his friends. He was "picked" by Mehboob Khan whom he met at Sagar Movietone, to sing and act in films as an alternative to the then Calcutta-based singer-actor, K. L. Saigal. Surendra started his career with his debut starring role in Deccan Queen (1936), directed by Mehboob Khan. He soon became a part of Sagar Movietone when his song "Birha Ki Aag Lagi More Man Mein" from the film became an "instant hit".
Bibbo was a music composer, singer and actress who worked in both Indian and Pakistani films. She acted in Indian cinema from 1931 to 1947 before moving to Pakistan, following Partition of India in 1947. She started her acting career with Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. in 1933, working with directors like M. D. Bhavnani and A. P. Kapoor. She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu. She was referred to as "one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s". Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri. "Tujhe Bibbo Kahoon Ke Sulochana", where Sulochana referred to another popular actress of the time. This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.
Sabita Devi (1914–1965) was a Hindi film actress in Indian cinema. She is stated to be one of the "prominent" leading ladies of the "pioneering era" of Indian cinema along with Mehtab, Bibbo, Durga Khote, Gohar, Devika Rani and Seeta Devi. A Jewish by birth, she changed her name to find acceptability in Hindi cinema like the other Anglo-Indian and Jewish actresses of her time, Sulochana, Seeta Devi, Madhuri, and Manorama. After initially working with British Dominion Films Ltd., Calcutta, she shifted to Bombay and performed mainly in films produced by Sagar Movietone with her co-star in most films being Motilal. Some of the popular films with Motilal were Dr. Madhurika (1935) and Kulvadhu (1937) directed by Sarvottam Badami. Their first film together was Shaher Ka Jadoo (1934), which was also Motilal's debut film, and then Lagna Bandhan (1936) both directed by Kaliprasad Ghosh. She acted in Silver King (1935) with Motilal. It was an action film directed by C. M. Luhar, which became a "huge success".
Mazhar Khan was an actor, producer, and director in Indian Cinema. He began his career as a police officer, which he left to study law for a short period. After abandoning his studies, he came to Bombay and started his career in cinema with the silent film Fatal Garland (1928) opposite the top actress of the time, Ermeline. He became a popular actor, gaining success in several silent films. During his stint in silent films he worked with directors such as Bhagwati Prasad Mishra, Ezra Mir, Moti P. Bhagnani, R. S. Chowdhary, and M. D. Bhavnani. Magazines in the 1940s compared Khan to Hollywood actors such as Paul Muni, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.
Bhudo Advani was an Indian character actor and comedian. He started his acting career in theatre with the notion of spreading awareness on social issues. He came to Bombay on the advice of an Ajanta Cinetone representative and was offered a role in the film Afzal, also called Hoor-E-Haram in 1933, directed by Mohan Bhavnani. He later joined Sagar Movietone, becoming an important fixture in most films produced by them. He turned from character roles to comedy performing in Dr. Madhurika (1935), directed by Sarvottam Badami, Deccan Queen (1936) and Do Diwaane (1936), by C. Luhar.